LOCAL

LOCAL
Audobon Societyto meet Tuesday
CANFIELD -- The Audubon Society/Mahoning Valley will meet Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Mill Creek MetroPark Farm for a presentation by Patrice Harvey from Wild Birds Unlimited on the top 20 feeder birds. Feeders will be made for participants to take home.
Social time will be at 6:30.
For more information, call (330) 783-6287. The meeting is open to all who wish to attend.
Deer Expo plannedat Leetonia club
LEETONIA -- The Leetonia Sportsman's Club will have a Deer Expo Dec. 4 on the club grounds. Breakfast will be served at 8 a.m., and the event will begin at 9. Admission is $3 or $1 with an antlered or antlerless deer. Youths 14 and under will be admitted free, but must be accompanied by an adult.
The Buckeye Big Bucks Club and Pope & amp; Young will green-score deer. Trophies will be awarded for the heaviest doe, heaviest buck, best nontypical buck and best typical buck.
Venders and other organizations will also be present.
The club is located just off state Route 344 near the Route 11 Columbiana/Leetonia exit. For more information, call Bill Harding at (330) 457-1600 or Bill Goodchild at 332-4052.
Seamanship course
AUSTINTOWN -- The Coast Guard Auxiliary will teach about safe boating through the Basic Skills and Seamanship Course starting in January at First United Methodist Church, 6749 Mahoning Ave.
For more information, call Ed Straub at (330) 727-3005 or Ray Calzo at (330) 799-8744 or George Davis at (330) 337-7742.
Christmas party set
LOWELLVILLE -- The Lowellville Rod & amp; Gun Club will have a Christmas party for children at 1 p.m. Dec. 11.
The party is free and open to the public; reservations are required. Call Claire Kopcsos at (330) 757-9020.
Gun, knife, military showset at Lake Milton hall
LAKE MILTON -- A gun, knife and military show will be held today from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the American Legion Hall, 16465 Milton Road.
Admission is $5. Profits return to the community in the form of child welfare, scholarships and children's Christmas and Easter parties.
For more information, call Terry Davis at (330) 654-8571.
OHIO
Helping landownershalt spread of EAB
COLUMBUS -- Private landowners in northwest Ohio whose trees are facing the threat of emerald ash borer (EAB) infestations may now seek assistance from two state service foresters hired specifically to provide advice on ways to manage woodlots against the invasive insect, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
"We encourage woodland owners in northwest Ohio to take a proactive stance against the spread of EAB," said Casey Munchel, EAB information forester for the ODNR Division of Forestry. "In many cases, this means selecting and responsibly harvesting ash trees that are likely to become sources of food for the insect."
These EAB service foresters, who are based in Maumee and Findlay, can develop forest stewardship plans for private landowners with five or more acres that focus on stopping the spread of EAB. By determining the size and number of ash trees that are likely to be infested, landowners can better decide whether or not to initiate a harvest. For more information about this EAB assistance, landowners should call (419) 424-5004.
The emerald ash borer is an exotic, invasive insect that attacks native ash trees. It is currently found in Auglaize, Delaware, Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Hancock, Henry, Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, Williams and Wood counties in Ohio.
The creamy white EAB larvae are 1 inch in length, and eat the live tissue under the bark, killing the tree within three to five years of infestation. The adult insects are a half-inch in length, metallic green and fly from May to September. Notable signs of EAB infestation are small, D-shaped exit holes, and a serpentine patterns under the bark that are packed with sawdust. The National Science Advisory Panel has recommended reducing the number of large diameter ash trees to keep EAB from infesting all ash trees in Ohio.
Approximately 3,700 Ohio landowners benefit from the assistance of ODNR service foresters annually. These service foresters write woodland stewardship plans for nearly 52,000 acres of woodlands every year throughout the state of Ohio.
PENNSYLVANIA
Officials expectingchallenging conditions
HARRISBURG -- Pennsylvania Game Commission officials are expecting hunters to encounter more challenging hunting conditions in many areas of the state during the two-week rifle deer season, which begins Nov. 28 and runs through Dec. 10.
"There are fewer deer in many places," explained Dr. Christopher Rosenberry, who heads the Game Commission's Deer Management Section. "Over the past six years, the Game Commission has implemented substantial changes to the deer management program that were designed to reduce deer impacts on habitat and improve the buck age structure. Most hunters have adapted to and abided by these changes. As a result, deer populations have been reduced in many areas and the proportion of older bucks in the harvest has increased."
Change constantly influences deer hunting. Sometimes it's short-term changes such as the availability of mast, changes in land access or use, or hunter distribution. Other times, its long-term changes caused by management objectives designed to reduce deer impacts and to increase the proportion of older bucks in the population. But change can and does affect the success of hunters. As in anything, preparation can improve one's chances of hunting success. The importance of scouting and becoming familiar with an area and deer movements should not be overlooked.